Display device



Aug. 21, 1951 H. E. SOREF ET AL DISPLAY DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 12, 1946 INVENTORS (5 501/6 JQW Y tooi 2 dam/my- Aug. 21, 1951 H. E. SOREF ET AL DISPLAY DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 12, 1946 INVENTOR. 1/:1 501/6f fi/CZI/LL QL (lanai? Patented Aug. 21, 1951 UNITED ESTATES PATEN Eo'FF-icE "DISPLAY DEVICE :Han y ..So1tef and Daniel. J. Foote, Milwaukee, Wis.,.-:assignors toMaster Lock Company, Milwaukea'Wis a corporation of Wisconsin Application"October-12, 1946, Serial No. 702,980

. for attractively displayingsmalkartlclesf merchandise in a manner whichrrenderscthe-articles readily removable in theevent of sale. :A particularly advantageous useof theinvention would be in the suspension therefrom, at a definite angle, of padlocks and the :respective'keys therefor.

Another object of the invention iszto provide a fitting for displaying .smallarticles-sald-fitting including hook-like supports andmeans associated therewith .for holding all of :the several articles in similar positions-on -,their respective hooks, so that a neat and orderly appearance is presented thereby.

It is also an object oftheinventiontoprovide a support for small articles .of merchanidse, such as padlocks, in which;an advertising ,panel is combined with a fittingv providing hook-like'elements on which theindividual:articlesxmay .be hun said hooks being aarranged along a line oblique tothe horizontalzto;insurethat-the articles may be suspended in ;staggered:arrangement for the sake of attractiveappearance,.and .so that none of them will be completely hidden by the next adjacent article of similar dimensions.

Other objects and advantagesof :the'invention will appear from the following description taken in connection withtthe drawinganin which:

Fig. 1 is a face viewin -,e1evation, showing a display board provided with hook like fittings'ior supporting thearticles to :be displayed-and showing, in dotted outline,a.pluralltymf,padlock's and their keys in the ,positions which they would occupy if supported bysaidhooks.

Fig. 2 is a face view inelevationsshowing-a unit of four of the hook-like supports' esqdesignedi'or attachment to the display "board, eBSzShOWIl in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an endelevation oftthefittingsshown in Fig. 2, together with a .fragmentmfthesupporting board, indicating thevmethodof mounting .the fitting ,on the board.

Fi 4 is a fr gmentary.detail sectional view taken as indicated. at I line jonlig. .2. with d d outlinessmwlng the po ition. which: nadlocks assume when hung on the support.

. Fig. 5 is aface view in elevation, similar to Fig. .1, butshowing a modified form of display board.

and. illustrating, in dotted outline, a series .of :padlocks of diiferent sizes supported therefrom.

The display device which is the subject of .this

invention has beenpartiularly designed for use with padlocks, and similar articles, which .are

:usually sold in hardware stores and by otherretail dealers, and which may be made in a variety of models. The display boards illustrated herewith are adapted to support eithera plurality of locks, all of the same design and dimensions, or aplurality of padlocks of difierent sizes. As shown in Fig. 1, the board Iii is of special desi n, havin the outline of a parallelogram, which is not-rectangular, but which is in the form of a rhomboid, having two acute angles. This panel is hingedly mounted by connecting one of its shorter sides l2 to an upright support M, such as the stile of the shelving commonly employed in a store for stocks of merchandise, and, as shown, the hinged connection comprises a pair of cornice hooks l6 projecting from thestile l4, and a;.pair of screw eyes I8 extending from the edge l2 of the panel l0. Any other convenient form of hlngemay be substituted, and it will be understood that ,the panel may be of wood or metal, or other suitable material. With a panel of this design, the lower edge 20 extends obliquely upward from the supporting member 14, and this lower edge is provided with hookelike means on which avseries of .padlocks 22 may be hung, together with their shackle portion. 23 of a padlock; but since the hooks 28 are of sheet metal, and therefore of extremely limited width, the position of each lock is controlled by means of a lug 32 bent to extend obliquely .from the plane of the fit ting 28 and adjacent the recess 38 of eachhook member 23. This 1ug.32 then engages laterally against the arched portion of the. shackle,;23, as

.seen in Fig. 4. Preferably, the angle between the lug 32 and the plane of the fitting 26, bears such a relation to thewidthof the recess 30 that it. leaves very little :play ,for; the shackle; 23 when the latter is lodged in the recess 30. A0-

cordingly, all the locks thus suspended from the several hooks 26 of the fitting 26 will hang in substantially parallel relation to each other, that is, with their panels in parallel planes oblique to the plane of the fitting 26, and with their body portions 22 disposed in similar positions in space, although at different elevations, if the locks are of similar dimensions, as shown in Fig. 1. The difierence in elevation of the bodies 22 results from the inclination of the lower edge 26 of the display board [6 to the horizontal and the corresponding inclination of the row of hooks 28 attached thereto.

The effect is a neat and pleasing presentation of the merchandise, with each lock readily removable from its supporting hook in the event of sale. Preferably, since a key or a pair of keys is sold with each lock, the fitting 26 includes a slot 34 adjacent each of the recesses 36 and adapted to receive the ring 36 by which the key or keys 24 of the corresponding lock may be suspended adjacent to the shackle of the lock. The

keys of the several locks being thus displayed in orderly and uniform arrangement adds to the attractiveness of the total presentation and to the sales appeal of the merchandise. If the supporting member is in the form of a wooden panel I6, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, its lower edge may be slotted to receive the upper portion of the fitting 26, and the latter may be pinned in position by means of small nails 38 extending through holes 46 in the part 26, as shown in Fig. 3. For convenience in shipping the display board, these nails may be withdrawn and then replaced by the retailer when he assembles the parts and mounts them in the position shown in Fig. l.

If the support for the fitting or fittings 26 is in the form of a panel such as that shown at It in Fig. l, the face of the panel may serve as a space for advertising matter, as, for example, within the area bounded by the broken lines 42, and, if desired, the upper edge of the panel may be slotted like the lower edge to receive an advertising card or plate 44.

Fig. shows a modified form of panel 50 which is rectangular, so that, with its vertical edge 52 hinged to the upright support 54 by means of the cornice hooks 56 and screw eyes 58, the lower edge 66 of the panel extends hori-- zontally. In this case the edge is provided with a single fitting 26, which is exactly like that shown in Fig. 2. The hook members 28 of the fitting may support 'a plurality of similar padlocks, but with the horizontal arrangement of the edge 60 it is preferable that these hooks be employed to carry articles of difierent sizes, like the padlocks 62, 64, 66 and 68, all shown in dotted outline in Fig. 5, and arranged in a graduated series so as to present a pleasing appearance. These padlocks are accompanied by their respective keys [2, 14, 16 and 18, which hang from the notches 34 of the fitting 26. Here, again, the arched portions of the respective shackles of the padlocks are held in substantially parallel positions by the lugs 32 associated with each of the hook portions 26, so that the display presents an orderly appearance at all times.

The hinged mounting of the display boards l0 and 50 permits them to be swung normally against the face of the shelving, where they will not project into the aisle back of the counter, but allows them to be swung outwardly to give access to articles which may be carried on the shelves adjacent the stiles I or 54, and thus lo- I. 1 4 cated behind the normal positions of the dis play boards.

It will be understood that the utility of the invention is not confined to the display of looks, but that other small articles, adapted to be supported on hooks, may be similarly presented; and it may also be understood that while there are shown and described herein certain specific forms of boards and supporting fittings, the invention is not limited thereto or thereby but embraces all modifications, variations, and equivalents which may come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a display device, a supporting fixture comprising a vertically disposed strip of sheet material having portions cut away at intervals along the lower edge of the strip forming hookshaped elements having article receiving recesses open toward the upper edge of the strip and with a lug extending from the strip adjacent one side of each recess transversely of the plane of said strip, said lugs extending in parallel planes for holding articles in definite positions on said hook-shaped elements.

2. In a display device, a supporting fixture comprising a vertically disposed strip of sheet material having-portions cut away at intervals along the lower edge of the strip forming hookshaped elements having article receiving recesses open toward the upper edge of the strip with a lugextending from the strip adjacent one side of each recess and in a plane oblique to the plane of said strip at a position adapted to engage a portion of an article hung on the hook-shaped element, said lugs extending in parallel planes for holding articles in definite positions on said hook-shaped elements.

3. In a display device, a supporting fixture comprising a vertically disposed strip of sheet material having notches at intervals in the lower edge of the strip shaped to form hook-shaped elements each having an article receiving recess open toward the upper edge of the strip and a narrow article receiving slot also open toward said upper edge of the strip, each recess having a lug bent to extend obliquely from the strip adjacent one side of the recess, all said lugs extending from the same side of the strip and in parallel planes for controlling the positions assumed by articles hung on said hook-shaped elements.

4. A displa device comprising a supporting panel having a vertical edge, said panel having a lower edge inclined upwardly from said vertical edge, a supporting fixture attached to the lower edge of the panel, said fixture comprising a strip of sheet material having portions cut away at intervals along the lower edge of the strip forming hook-shaped elements having article receiving recesses open toward the upper edge of the strip with a lug extending from the strip adjacent one side of each recess and in a plane oblique tothe plane of said strip at a position to engage a portion of an article hung on the hookshaped element, said lugs extending in parallel planes for holding articles in definite positions on said hook-shaped elements.

5. In a display device, a supporting fixture comprising-a sheet-like member, and means for retaining it in generally vertical position, said sheet-like member being cut away at a plurality of points along its lower edge, and forming a plurality of hook-shaped elements, each of said hook-shaped elements having an article receiving recess open toward the upper edge of the strip and a narrow article receiving slot also open toward said upper edge of the strip, and each of said hook members being provided with a lug, said lugs extending from the strip transversely of the plane 'of the strip and being positioned each adjacent an article receiving recess and adapted to position an article received in said recess.

HARRY E. SOREF. DANIEL J. FOOTE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file oi this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,089,882 Thomas Mar. 10, 1914 1,568,538 Argo Jan. 5, 1926 Number 15 Number Name Date Wells Dec. 21, 1926 Jones May 29, 1928 Nelson May 20, 1930 Hornaday May 27, 1930 Cathey Jan. 5, 1937 Awbrey Nov. 9, 1937 Grose May 24, 1938 Tate Nov. 28, 1939 Weiss Sept. 1, 1942 Hellyar Feb. 29, 1944 Zwald Mar. 14, 1944 Dye Aug. 12, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1888 Great Britain Jan. 4, 1934 

